Shadow Rock

After his mother's death, young Timothy London moves from the big city to the small New England fishing town of Shadow Rock to live with his father. His new home is up the hill from a legendary haunted lighthouse where Timothy discovers the ghost of Kendahl Fog, a little boy who died under mysterious circumstances. Timothy and his new ghostly companion set out to explore the dark underbelly of Shadow Rock and the mystery of Kendahl's death. Harrowing thrills and chills ensue in this classic boy's adventure with a horror twist.

From Publishers Weekly

So many contemporary comics are aimed at chronologically adult readers that it's nice to see one deliberately created for kids. Timothy London, an insecure newcomer in the eponymous fishing village, has to deal with the standard perils faced by teenagers—bullying peers and insensitive adults—while also exploring the place's dark legends. In particular, he meets the lonely ghost of a boy who was murdered in the local lighthouse to protect a guilty secret. But the town's real monsters are humans. As in most such stories, the hero must develop his capacities for friendship and independent action; he has to resolve internal problems while solving an exterior mystery. Watching this happen is entertaining, but the story stays a bit too close to lazy formula. Stereotyped villains, for example, never realize that they should destroy incriminating evidence rather than preserving it to be discovered by young detectives. On the other hand, the African-American hero's interaction with the rest of the cast is handled smoothly and casually, and the artwork is agreeably cartoony without being too exaggerated. Even if this book isn't as satisfying as a freshly imagined kid-comic like Robinson and Smith's Leave It to Chance, it's still a pleasant read for young people who crave a few chills and some mildly exciting thrills. (Feb.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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